On August 29, 2017, it was announced by the media that Gor Hakobyan, the man taken a young woman a hostage in “Weekend” non-operating billiard hall in Rostovyan 15/6, Yerevan, was neutralized by the police.
“Aravot.am” news website, making a reference to the Investigation Committee of the Republic of Armenia, has mentioned by the article entitled “Holding the knife on the young woman’s throat demanded to invite 5 citizens and a lawyer”, that the police officers have given him a deathly injury. During the same day, “armtimes.com” news website has published a video record from the place of the incident, where it is clearly seen that not one, but two shots have been released for neutralizing Gor Hakobyan. However, as we are informed from “Aravot.am’s” aforementioned publication, the criminal case having been initiated in RA Investigation Committee, concerned only the case of taking a hostage, and they have not published information on lodging a criminal case on the case of Gor Hakobyan’s death.
Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly Vanadzor Office has represented a report on the crime to the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Armenia on September 11, 2017, on the issue of initiating a criminal case relative to Gor Hakobyan’s death in the result of the actions of the police officers and giving a legal assessment to the actions of the police officers within the mentioned frameworks. As well as to reply to the questions whether the persons having had dialogues with Gor Hakobyan have had the respective skills, why Gor Hakobyan’s requirements were not fulfilled. Who has decided that the negotiations do not give a positive outcome and that the threat to the life of the hostage is real and given an order to neutralize him to the sniper, which body part has the shot damaged and what consequences has it had and eventually, has an order for the second shot been given or not and for what purpose it has been implemented.
Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly Vanadzor Office has emphasized that not conducting an investigation on Gor Hakobyan’s death case is a violation of the right to life pursuant to the European Convention on Human Rights, and investigation of it in the frameworks of the criminal case initiated relative to the case of taking a hostage contradicts to the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia, inasmuch as his death is the consequence of the actions of the police and the case should be inspected by the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Armenia.
Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly Vanadzor Office
